Book Review: The Limit by Michael Cannell

As an avid motorsport fan and as an avid book reader, I decided to go to the local Waterstones, a British bookstore, in order to find an interesting read on Formula One's spectacular and often horrendous history. Here, I came across "The Limit: Life and Death in Formula One's Most Dangerous Era" by Michael Cannell.

First released in 2011, Cannell tells the thrilling yet sad story of two Formula One Grand Prix drivers who find themselves fighting for the 1961 World Drivers Championship. Phil Hill was an American driver, originating from California, experienced in racing midget and sport cars. His rival, Wolfgang von Trips, who would go onto be nicknamed "Count von Crash," was from a noble family based in Rhineland, Germany. His interest in cars and racing was encouraged by British and American soldiers who occupied his family's castle during World War Two. After of what seems some extensive research, Cannell goes into further detail about both gentlemen's childhoods and how two extremely different people; Hill being intense and highly sensitive and von Trips being charming and extroverted, both go onto catch the eye of the infamous Enzo Ferrari. With the Ferrari name behind them, both would try and achieve every Formula One drivers dream - becoming World Champion.

From the start, the book is leading onto the big event - the Italian Grand Prix in 1961; the home of Ferrari. Hill and von Trips went into the race fighting for the championship. One would win and one would perish in an accident that caused the death of fifteen spectators. You soon realise, no matter who you are, in Formula One the race goes on. And, if you are Phil Hill, your spectacular championship win is completely overshadowed by the death of your most closest competitor; Wolfgang von Trips.

"The Limit" looks back at how different and dangerous Formula One used to be, where accidents and fatalities were guaranteed at almost every event. It's quite a shock to be reminded that safety was the least of race officials concerns back in the 1950's. Drivers themselves would continue to race if a competitor perished during the race weekend. Cannell's words cleverly portray, with thanks to external sources, how the drivers felt during these times and, as the reader, you can get a really personal feel or "connection" to this.

Obviously this is not a story but a recap of Formula One history. One which Cannell portrays extremely well with his brilliant writing and research. It really hits you that these people, men or women, that are portrayed as some kind of superhero, are in fact frail humans, constantly putting their lives on the line. "The Limit" never let's you forget that.

I, for one, really enjoyed this read. Every time I opened the book, I was transported back in time, deeply immersed into the history of Formula One and motor sport in general. I've learnt things about the sport I never knew before and I've learnt about racing drivers who truly were incredible in that dangerous era. As for Cannell, who is someone who has little interest in motor sport, I think that it has been been written beautifully with every moment detailed to a great quality. I can't help but grin when I think of this book, despite the sad and perilous circumstances that surround it. I also can't help but compare this story to "Rush," which portrays a later rivalry between the late Niki Lauda and the late James Hunt. And, I'm sure in the future will have more stories on fierce rivalries. I for one cannot wait. In the meantime, I highly recommend this read for all motorsport fans. It's one you don't really want to miss!

"The Limit - Life and Death in Formula One's Most Dangerous Era." by Michael Cannell.

Language: English

Pages: 336

First Released: November 2011

Publisher: Atlantic Books

The Story of an Underrated F1 Driver

Some may call me biased for writing this. I probably am. I'm also stating a clear fact; Carlos Sainz is the most underrated driver in recent F1 history. Unfortunately, his talent and race craft has been overlooked by a very small handful, of what some may call "controversial," social media incidents. But it's time to look past that and see the Spaniard for what he really is; a very talented Formula One racing driver.

Carlos Sainz was born in Madrid in September 1994 to famous double World Rally Champion; Carlos Sainz. Coming from a motor sport background, it was inevitable that Carlos Jnr would, in some way, follow in his father's footsteps into the world of racing.

Winning his first karting championship in 2008, it wasn't long until Carlos was scouted by the Red Bull Junior Team thus making his 2010 debut in single seaters. His first championship winning year came in 2011 after he won the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup. The following year he contested in British Formula 3 before moving to GP3, a support series to Formula One, in 2013. That year's GP3 title went to Carlos' teammate; Daniil Kvyat whereas after a torrid season where he was regularly compared to then Formula One driver; Pastor Maldonado, Carlos finished in 10th. Daniil then went on to debut in Formula One the following season. For Carlos, he went back to the Formula Renault family for 2014 where he greatly redeemed himself by winning that years Formula Renault 3.5 championship thus earning himself a place on the Formula One grid for 2015. This is where our story truly begins.

Carlos Sainz made his Formula One debut with the then Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 Team in Australia 2015 alongside the highly anticipated Max Verstappen. He qualified and finished the race in the top ten. After a crash in Free Practice 3 at the Russian Grand Prix, Carlos finished his first Formula One season in 15th position in the championship. His teammate

Verstappen finished 12th.

Both drivers continued to be teammates at Toro Rosso for the 2016 season and in the early part of the season, before Max moved to the sister team; Red Bull, they matched and pushed each other on track to the maximum. But, unfortunately for Carlos, he was overlooked for that potential move to Red Bull. One that caused a lot of out-cry and controversy in the Red Bull family. Instead, Carlos continued on at Toro Rosso with ex-GP3 teammate; Daniill Kvyat. Carlos would finish this season in 12th with 46 points, outscoring Daniill by 21 points.

Carlos went on to contest a third year at Toro Rosso in 2017 with a career best race finish; P4 at the Sinagpore Grand Prix. He also managed to again outscore Kvyat by finishing in 9th in the championship compared to Kvyat's 19th. It should be noted however, that Kvyat was replaced by Pierre Gasly towards the end of this season. Also, Carlos himself moved to Renault at the USA Grand Prix of this year where he out-qualified new team mate; Nico Hulkenberg and finished the race in 7th. Combining his points from Toro Rosso and Renault for this year, Carlos finished 9th in the World Driver's Championship, Carlos' best race season in Formula One to date.

It's fair to say that Carlos never had an easy start in Formula One. He was overshadowed by a younger talent that had been highly anticipated in this sport. He was also plagued with reliability issues with the car. Despite this, Carlos did what he could and has been Verstappen's closest teammate, pace wise, to date. Something that has always been overlooked and very rarely mentioned. I generally feel as if Carlos had no choice but to move to another team. With Verstappen as the lead driver at Red Bull Racing and with rumours that he (Verstappen) and his father had a big influence on any future teammates, Carlos' chances at moving to the senior team were slim. He needed to prove himself elsewhere, hence continuing on with Renault for the 2018 season.

Carlos' time at Renault started off positively, however, despite this he was constantly out-paced by teammate Hulkenberg. He scored in thirteen out of the nineteen races held in 2018 and finished the season in 10th, 3 places behind Hulkenberg. In my opinion this has been Carlos' hardest season to date and was less than impressive compared to his time at Toro Rosso. Carlos was replaced at Renault for the following season in 2019 by Daniel Ricciardo who was leaving Red Bull Racing. At the end of this year, he (Carlos) also left the Red Bull family for good by signing with McLaren for 2019.

Carlos had an interesting start to his time at McLaren with several DNFs and incidents. However, things soon took a turn for the better where he scored consistently in races and was often classed as "better than the rest." After a maiden podium at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Carlos finished the season in 6th, doubling his points from his previous best season in 2017 and out scoring new teammate; rookie, Lando Norris. Ironically, he was fighting for the position against two other drivers; Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon, both of who had driven for Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen that season.

Moving onto 2020, Carlos would stay with McLaren. This would also be Carlos' most successful full Formula One season to date including a career best qualifying of 3rd at the Styrian Grand Prix and a career best race finish of 2nd at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing only 0.4 seconds behind race winner; Pierre Gasly. Carlos and teammate; Lando Norris were extremely close on track and consistently pushed each other. However, Carlos eventually came out on top by finishing the World Driver's Championship in 6th compared to Lando's 9th. Carlos also managed numerous career highs during this season including 105 points earned in one season and 6 top-five race finishes also gained in one season.

Carlos really flourished during his time at McLaren. With being the more experienced driver in the team and having a teammate that consistently pushed him to the limit, I think Carlos proved he meant business in Formula One and the prestigious and historic team; Scuderia Ferrari obviously agreed after managing to snatch Carlos from McLaren for the 2021 season. This would be a move that would really test Carlos and his abilities. Was he the real deal or just a number two driver?

At the time of writing this piece, we are nine races into the 2021 Formula One season. Carlos has so far scored in seven out of the nine races, one of these being a 2nd place in Monaco. He also currently sits in 7th in the championship; one place and two points behind highly talented and regarded teammate; Charles Leclerc. For the first time, I feel as if Carlos is finally getting the recognition he deserves with numerous people praising his ability to adapt to his new team and car quickly and smoothly as well as consistently matching teammate Leclerc.

It's fair to say that the journey Carlos has been hasn't been the smoothest and as with many other drivers, points don't always prove someone's talent. Look at George Russell, for example. But, I think we have learnt that despite an up and down career, Carlos is extremely overlooked as a racing driver. Its time more people enjoyed watching him drive racing cars. I, for one, look forward to a "Carlos masterclass" every race weekend and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Carlos. Fans of motorsport should not be writing out Spaniard off just yet. That's for sure.

Time to Retire? The Older F1 Generation Vs The Young.

Time after time in the F1 Twitter community, I see fans commenting that older drivers, such as Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso - to name but a handful, should make way for the up and coming generation of drivers from the likes of Formula 2 and Formula 3. But, should we be thinking this? Do the older guys still have what it takes? Is it really time for them to retire?

The average age of the 2021 Formula One driver line up is 27, with the majority of drivers being under 25. There is then the other end of the spectrum, the older guys. One of them is in their forties. Another is just off that. Where as some others are in their mid-thirties. Are these guys too "old" to be racing? I don't think so, after all, age is just a number.

Let's look at the four oldest drivers on the grid; Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Coincidentally, they are also the four drivers that have been on the grid the longest but between the four of them there are 14 World Driver Championships with Lewis achieving SIX of them in the past six years. However, out of these four, Lewis is the only one to still be racing for a top team. As for the other three, I think it's very important that they've found a home with mid-field teams. They may not be at the front of the field fighting for wins and podiums. They may only be just about scrapping it out for that final point but that shouldn't mean they shouldn't be there. These men still have the passion for motor sport. They still enjoy getting into the car and racing. And, most importantly, they are bringing their experience and expertise into their teams. Regardless, it's fair to say, they have as much right to be on the grid as anyone; young or old.

But, you could argue this. There are only 20 seats. In the past there have been more but now it is just a mere 20. There are also thousands upon thousands of young drivers out there itching for a chance in the pinnacle of motor sport that is Formula One. Why are they not getting the chances they deserve?

Lets look at Max Verstappen. A young driver who got his chance in F1 at 18 years of age with only a years experience in single seater racing. Surely, that's a disaster waiting to happen? I thought so but Max has proved me wrong. In fact, he is currently on track to win his first World Drivers Championship this year at age 24. However, he won't be the youngest. That record belongs to one of our older drivers; Sebastian Vettel. Does this indicate the younger a driver is, the better they perform? Possibly. But let's not forget, despite the evolution of Formula One, that Juan Manuel Fangio currently holds the record of the oldest World Drivers Champion. One he achieved at age 46 in 1957.

There are also plenty of other young guns such as Lando Norris and George Russell that are making an impression on Formula One fans this season, so, I completely understand why these fans are finding themselves completely in awe of the younger generation coming through. In fact, I'm also extremely excited to see what the future holds for Formula One and these younger drivers. It's an exciting prospect.

Still, referring back to our OAPs of the sport, they deserve to be here racing at the very top. They may not be at their best anymore but they are achieving things in other ways. They are passionate and we should still count ourselves extremely lucky to be able to watch them. They are World Champions after all.

Yes, unfortunately drivers in junior series will miss out on a seat in F1. We've been deprived of talent before (Antonio Felix da Costa, for example) and unfortunately, we will get deprived again. But, lets not blame the older guys. Maybe we should be pointing our fingers elsewhere as to why there are not enough seats? A financial aspect, maybe? Regardless, Formula One is a cut throat sport. You either make it or you don't.